In a surprising turn of events, eBay has put a number of restrictions on trading card seller PwCC for shill bidding.
eBay has been the go-to platform for consumer-to-consumer selling. The platform has been in headlines for a variety of stuff, including some unrealistic prices for graphic cards amidst the mining boom.
Today, eBay has taken quite an interesting decision against PwCC for shill bidding and trading card buyers might be quite disappointed with the development.
What is shill bidding?
For those who are unaware, shill bidding is a technique used by sellers to raise the bid of their auctions. eBay describes it as “Shill bidding is when someone bids on an item to artificially increase its price, desirability, or search standing.”
Considering the fact that shill bidding is an illegal practice, eBay has strict regulations against it. eBay states that it can result in the imposition of limitations on buying and selling privileges and even suspension of the user’s account.
eBay Restricts PwCC for Shill Bidding, Trading Card Seller Responds
eBay has “restricted” the selling privileges of PwCC along with the listings. In a recent statement eBay, “Recently it was determined that individuals associated with a trading card seller, PWCC, have engaged in ‘shill bidding,’ which is prohibited on eBay.”
It is not clear how exactly the individuals in question were related to PwCC, and eBay has reportedlydenied commentingon the same. When it comes to PwCC they have been quite shocked by the response.
PwCC straightaway denied that its employees have engaged in any form of shill bidding. It further adds, “PWCC goes to great lengths to ensure that its employees follow eBay’s rules and PWCC employees do not have access to eBay’s bidding records or information.”
That being said, the currently scheduled August Premier Auction will be continuing on the website with the next auction taking place in September. It remains to be seen whether eBay alters its decision, as PwCC is one of the biggest trading card sellers on the platform.
